


'Cause Down the Shore Everything's All Right

by GinnyK



Series: Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life [12]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Beach House, Developing Relationship, F/M, Vacation, bye bye canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28061187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: True to the promise he made after returning from Hawaii, Gibbs and Jack are headed to the beach for vacation.
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Series: Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1351900
Comments: 30
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from a line in the song, Jersey Girl by Bruce Springsteen. A favorite song of this Jersey Girl.

Jack turned the corner heading towards her office and nearly ran smack into Gibbs who was leaving the office with a look on his face she couldn’t quite identify. 

“Hey,” he muttered with a slightly guilty edge to his voice, like he’s been caught with his hand on the proverbial cookie jar. He stopped in front of her, fidgeting as Jack eyed him up and down, trying to figure what he was up to.

“Did you need me?” Jack asked as she reached to brush away some invisible lint from the lapel of his jacket. 

“No,” Gibbs answered quickly.

“Okay,” Jack said slowly trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

“I uh, brought you some coffee, it’s on your desk,” Gibbs said nervously. Jack just smiled at him and gave a little nod.

“Okay, thanks. I guess I’ll see you later,” she muttered as Gibbs held up his own coffee cup in a mock salute before making a beeline for the stairs.

“What was that?” Jack muttered to herself as she went into her office. She dropped the files she had in her hand down on the coffee table before sitting in her desk chair and reaching for her coffee. She took the first satisfying sip and reached for the manila folder which had been sitting next to her coffee, a folder which wasn’t there when she left her office earlier. With a good deal of curiosity, she put on her reading glasses and opened the folder. In it was a sealed standard business envelope and two sheets of paper, almost identical leave request forms. Jack set the envelope aside and reached for the papers. The top one was completely filled out in familiar, precise handwriting and bore the signature of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the second one was also filled out, waiting for her signature. Both were requests for the same week off in August, 3 weeks away. Jack smiled and grabbed a pen from the cup on the corner of her desk. She signed her name on her form and returned the pen.

Apparently, their conversation back in the Spring about taking a vacation together had stuck with Gibbs. She took a sip of her coffee and propped her feet on the corner of desk, setting the envelope on her lap. It was a non-descript white envelope with her name on the front in the now very familiar handwriting. After another sip of coffee, she slipped her pinky under the seal to open it. Inside she found a brochure for Ocean City NJ and a rental agreement for a house. There was a map and it looked to be less than 2 blocks from the beach. Jack’s excitement and smile on her face grew with each passing second. She quickly glanced at the brochure, filled with sunny beach pictures, scenes of the boardwalk and the obligatory sunset picture. With a small sigh she pressed it to her chest and smiled to herself.

As she reached for the folder to take the papers up to Vance, Jack’s eye caught sight of the picture next to her laptop. It was herself, Gibbs and Phineas, taken the day the boy’s aunt and uncle came to pick up the rest of his things from the house. It was the last time they’d seen Finn. Jack texted him almost daily, Gibbs talked to him at least once a week. And much to her surprise, and the surprise of all of Team Gibbs, she and Jethro had a date to go to the Verizon store the following day. He was finally planning on coming into the 21st century and getting himself a smart phone. Finn was beyond excited at being able to text “Jethro Gibbs” whenever he wanted.

Jack finished the coffee and headed to take the forms up to Vance. Gibbs was deep in discussion with McGee as she headed up the stairs and he didn’t notice her.

“Is he in?” Jack asked Vance’s secretary.

“Yes, go ahead in,” she said, motioning towards the door to Leon’s private office.

Jack unconsciously smoothed down her hair and opened the door.

“Hey Leon,” she said with a smile as she stood in front of his desk, holding the file folder behind her back. 

“Special Agent Sloane, to what do I own the pleasure of your visit?” Director Vance asked with a little knowing smile of his own. He reached for a toothpick, giving Jack a few seconds to stand in front of his desk, fidgeting just a little.

‘Uh, I guess I need to drop these off,” Jack spit out as she handed the folder to Vance. He reached for it with a grin.

“Jack, you need to let go,” he teased as he tugged on the folder.

“Yeah, sorry. So, I guess Gibbs already talked to you about this,” she mused, pointing towards the papers which Leon was glancing at.

“Yes, Agent Gibbs did mention he was going to take some time off,” he said careful not to mention Jack’s paper in his left hand.

“Well, there is one for me too. I guess we’re, uh, going away together,” Jack muttered as she nervously smoothed down her skirt.

Vance glanced up at her, clearly enjoying seeing her squirm over the whole situation. He pushed himself out of his chair as walked around to lean on the front of his desk. They were quiet for a minute, just long enough for Jack to start sweating. The stern look on Vance’s face cracked and he removed the toothpick before breaking out into a laugh.

“Jack, the two of you are grown adults. As your boss, I don’t care what you do in your spare time. As your friend, and his, I’m happy for the two of you,” Vance said sincerely.

“Thanks Leon. We’re still trying to navigate whatever this is we have, it’s…”

“Complicated?” Leon guessed. Jack just nodded. “There’s no way a relationship between you and Gibbs would be anything but complicated. But you’re happy?”

“Yeah, we are,” Jack admitted quietly.

“Good,” Vance said with a smile. “Now, let me get back to work. You have a vacation to plan,” he added over his shoulder.

“Thank, Leon,” Jack said as she headed for the door. 

As Jack started across the catwalk she glanced down at the team. They were still huddled around the plasma screen, Gibbs, McGee, Bishop and Torres. Jack watched them for a few minutes unnoticed. Eventually Tim looked up and spotted her. He tapped Gibbs on the arm and pointed to the catwalk. Gibbs glanced up at her and winked. She pressed a hand to heart and returned the wink. She started down the stairs and Gibbs stepped away from the team to meet her under the stairs, one of his most favorite talking spots. 

“Thank you,” Jack said as she reached to discreetly entwine her fingers with his.

“I told you months ago that we were going to the beach,” Gibbs replied with a smirk, blue eyes twinkling.

“Yeah, you did,” Jack said simply.

“But you didn’t really believe me,” Gibbs said quietly.

“I had my doubts, cause you tend to say things just because you think it’s what I want to hear,” Jack said with a little shrug of her shoulders.

“Guilty as charged, but I meant this, from the very beginning,” Gibbs said seriously as he reached to tuck her hair behind her ear. Jack bit her bottom lip a little as she nodded her belief. On a whim and for the first time in a rather public place she stood up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Sorry,” she muttered as she realized what she’d done.

“Nothin’ to be sorry about,” Gibbs assured her with a smile.

“Hey boss, we got something,” McGee called from the other side of the room.

“Yeah,” Gibbs called back. Jack started to head for her office, but he grabbed her hand, pulling her to the middle of the bullpen and the rest of the team.

Gibbs moved near the plasma with his team while Jack leaned against the front of his desk, paying attention but staying out of the way. Eventually Ellie took a few steps back, joining Jack at Gibbs’ desk.

“So, what was that under the stairs?” Ellie teased as she nudged Jack with her shoulder.

“Apparently me no longer caring about keeping whatever it is Gibbs and I have a secret,” Jack said with a little smirk.

“Good for you, both of you,” Ellie said as she squeezed her friend’s hand.

“So, apparently he rented us a house in Ocean City NJ for a week next month. Arranged our leave through Leon and everything.”

“Gibbs is taking a vacation?” Ellie asked, taking a step towards her boss to give him some fully deserved teasing. Jack grabbed her hand to keep the blonde agent where she was. “I’ll tease him later,” Ellie grinned.

Eventually the progress on the case slowed. McGee went down to see Jimmy, Nick went out for coffee and Jack returned to her office with just a little smile in Gibbs’ direction.

Gibbs sat down at his desk and put on his reading glasses to look at something on his computer. Ellie had just put a folder on his desk and was now basically just standing behind him.

“You need somethin’ Bishop?” Gibbs asked, without glancing over his shoulder at her.

“No,” she answered quickly.

“Okay, then do you have something to say to me?” he asked with a sigh, quickly realizing why she was lurking there. He tried to sound stern but was failing miserably.

“Uh, no. I’m good,” Ellie said as she tried to scoot around her boss. Gibbs was quick and grabbed her hand.

“Jack told you about the trip?” he asked as he pulled off his glasses and stood up, facing Bishop.

“Yeah. I think you’ll have a great time,” Ellie said simply with a little smile.

“Me too,” Gibbs agreed as crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. “I just hope I don’t screw this up,” he sighed, his real fear coming through.

“The vacation?” Ellie asked, wondering why he would be worried about a week at the beach.

“No, this thing in general,” Gibbs said as he dropped his head down, staring at his boots.

“You won’t Gibbs. Jack likes you for you. She’s seen you at your worst and she still wants to be around you,” Ellie laughed.

Gibbs chuckled despite trying not to. He pushed himself away from the desk and pressed a kiss to Ellie’s cheek.

“What was that for?” Ellie asked as she headed for her desk.

“For being our biggest cheerleader,” Gibbs muttered as he sat back down and turned his attention back to his computer, a small smile playing across his face.


	2. Chapter 2

“Jack, I am never going to figure this out,” Gibbs yelled from where he was sitting on his couch, new iPhone 8 in his hand. He held it as if it were going to spontaneously burst into flames at any minute. “It’s too big and it doesn’t fold in half,” he whined to the room in general when he didn’t get an immediate reply from Jack who was in the laundry room moving over the clothes. Gibbs propelled himself to his feet and went to find what was taking her so long. He found her sitting on the dryer, scrolling through her own phone. “Didn’t you hear me calling?” he asked as he set the offending device on the washer.

“I did hear you. I will help you figure it out, it’s not too big, in fact it’s the smaller version of the 8 and no it doesn’t fold up. Phones stopped doing that about 10 years ago,” Jack replied with a snort. She’d picked the 8 because it was what she had, making it easier to teach Gibbs. He’d certainly handled her phone before. He was able to find and play music and answer the phone but beyond that he was pretty much starting from scratch. 

“Whatever, why are you alone in here sitting on the dryer?” he asked as he put his hands on either side of her and leaned in for a quick kiss.

“Cause it’s quiet in here, or at least it was,” she snorted as she put her hands on his shoulders. “Go started another pot of coffee and we’ll work on setting up your fingerprint access texting. Deal?” she offered as she played with the short hair on the back on his head.

“Fine,” Gibbs muttered, quickly realizing he was not going to be getting any sympathy from her over his technological woes. 

****************

By the time bedtime rolled around, Gibbs was able to unlock the phone with his thumbprint and he had figured out the basics of texting, much to the thrill of Phineas who had been texting every 15 minutes or so since Gibbs had sent him his first test in the late afternoon. By some miracle the guy at the Verizon had been able to transfer Gibbs’ contacts from his ancient phone to his new one. Jack set up a few groups for him and showed him the world of emojis. She hasn’t planned on doing that just yet but since Finn had basically communicated in them from the first text, she felt she needed to show Gibbs a few things. After Gibbs had to ask Finn a few times what some of his acronyms meant, the boy caught on quickly and started to type everything out. That made Gibbs feel slightly less ancient and completely out of touch.

Gibbs almost texted Tony to prove he indeed had gotten the phone as planned, but Jack quickly reminded him of the time difference between the east coast and Paris.

****************

“So the house in Ocean City looks okay?” Gibbs asked as they crawled into bed together a little after 11:00. 

“More than okay, it’s two blocks from the beach. It could be a shack for all I care,” Jack assured him.

“Okay, just checking, it’s not one of the newer ones on the block. Thought you might have been expecting fancier,” Gibbs said quietly. He was more nervous about the whole trip than he would ever let on to anyone, certainly not to Jack.

“Gibbs, I was just trying not to get too excited about it even happening in the first place. Whatever you booked, as long as it has a roof and running water, it’s fine. And as long as it doesn’t rain, I’ll even forgo the roof,” she teased as she rolled over on her side to face him. I just want to relax in the sun. Oh, and surf,” she whispered as she cupped his cheek and kissed him softly before turning out the light.

“So, do you surf in a bikini?” Gibbs asked out of the blue about 10 minutes later. Jack startled a little as she thought he’d actually fallen asleep quickly for a change.

“What?” Jack asked with a little sigh as she rolled over to face him. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Bikini? Surfing? It was a yes or no question,” Gibbs snorted.

“Bikini on the beach, board shorts and a rash guard in the waves. Don’t want to give the rest of the people on the beach a free show if a wave hits me the wrong way,” Jack answered with a little snort of her own.

“It would be a nice show, though,” Gibbs smiled as he leaned a little to kiss her on the nose.

Jack just giggled and shook her head a little. “Go to sleep, Gibbs,” she whispered. 

“Okay, gonna dream about that bikini,” he muttered as he rolled over on his side, facing away from Jack. 

“You do that,” Jack whispered as she wrapped an arm around his waist and tangled her legs up with his.

***********

The next two weeks flew by in a haze of horrific cases, cranky team members and a hotter than usual DC summer. Tempers were flaring and the patience of everyone was wearing thin. The well-oiled Team Gibbs was anything but by the end of the week.

On Friday afternoon they wrapped up their case by 3:00 and Gibbs called everyone to the middle of the bullpen. The team shuffled towards him, scared of what was going to come out of his mouth. They feared all kinds of things he could say like, “grab your gear, we got a body, time for some cold cases or worst of all, time to hit the gym”. Tim, Ellie and Nick all steeled themselves, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. 

“Listen up, I know it’s been a rough few weeks. Why don’t you all go home, take the weekend and relax,” he said curtly without much emotion. The team froze for a second and then scattered quickly, leaving Gibbs standing alone in the middle of the room a mere two minutes later. 

“What did you do?” Jack asked as she stepped off the elevator expecting to see a full bullpen but instead finding Gibbs sitting at his desk, no other team members in sight.

“Sent them home,” he said as he reached for a pen under a pile of papers.

“Why?” Jack asked as she walked towards him.

“Cause I’m a nice guy,” Gibbs snorted as he pushed up his glasses. Jack just looked at him, eyebrows raised. “It’s been a bad few weeks, our latest case was closed and they deserve a little downtime,” he explained.

“Scattered in an instant before you changed your mind?” Jack guessed as she walked behind Gibbs and sat on the other part of the L-shaped desk.

“Somethin’ like that. I’m almost done here, what about you?” he asked as he reached for his now cold coffee. He drained it and pitched the cup in the trashcan.

“I can wrap up in a few minutes. You want to go for a walk, I think the rain earlier cooled things off a little,” Jack said.

“Go for a walk? Let me guess, that’s code for you want ice cream,” Gibbs teased as he stood up.

“You know me too well, Gibbs,” Jack said as she headed to her office. “Meet me outside in 5,” she threw over her shoulder.

***********

They walked over to Ice Cream Jubilee. Apparently, a lot of people had decided to ditch work early on a summer Friday and go get a treat. They passed the time in the line talking about their upcoming vacation. That, and deciding on what flavor to get.

***********

“What do you want for dinner?” Gibbs asked, head in the fridge a little after 6:00.

“Dinner, I’m still stuffed from ice cream,” Jack groaned.

“Well, nobody said you had to have two huge scoops,” Gibbs teased.

“I couldn’t decide which flavor I wanted,” Jack explained, shrugging her shoulders. “Go ahead if you’re hungry.”

“Guess I’m really not, cause I can’t decide what I want,” Gibbs sighed, grabbing a bottle of iced tea before closing the fridge.

“I’m going to go take a shower, wash away the week,” Jack said as she slid down from where she was sitting in her usual spot on the counter, between the fridge and the stove.

**************

“There you are,” Jack said 20 minutes later when she stuck her head out the back door to the deck. Dressed in shorts and an old t-shirt of Gibbs’, she was clearly ready to begin the relaxing part of the weekend. 

“Not many places I could have hidden,” Gibbs teased as he took a sip of his beer without looking at her. He was sitting at the table on the deck, a pad of paper and his laptop in front of him.

“True,” Jack agreed as she crossed the deck and stood behind him. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head before taking a glance at the stuff spread out in front of him. “What you are you working on?” she asked as she reached for his beer to steal a sip.

“Just some plans,” he said vaguely as he handed Jack a piece of paper. 

Jack took another sip of the beer and glanced at the paper in her hands. It was a rather rough sketch and it took her a minute to figure out what she was looking at. “Ramp for Delilah?” she guessed as she took a step back and glanced between the paper in her hand and the desk, trying to get an idea of how it would look.

“Yeah, she and the rest of the family have been spending more time over here lately, want her to feel comfortable. Seem okay?”

“That is incredibly sweet,” Jack assured him as she set the paper back down and perched on the arm of his chair, throwing her arm around Gibbs, resting her cheek against the top of his head. 

“I try, sometimes,” he chuckled.

“You try plenty,” Jack whispered. “Like when you redid the other bedroom for Phineas. Hey, did you talk to his Aunt about him coming to the beach for a few days.”

“Yeah. I’m sure he will be beyond excited. They’ll bring him Thursday morning. I think they’re going to just go to Atlantic City for the two nights. Sounds like they could use a little time away from our favorite 10 year old. I think it’s been a long summer. They’re going to tell him tonight,” Gibbs explained with a smile.

“Sounds great. I’m sure he will be thrilled.”

“You gettin’ hungry yet?” Gibbs asked.

“I could eat,” Jack said as she stood up. “Burgers?”

“Sure, I’ll start the grill,” Gibbs replied, taking off his glasses and standing up himself. He started the grill and texted with Tony who was up very late, taking care of Tali who was sick with a nasty summer cold and as a result hadn’t slept much in the past few nights.

**********

“So how are we getting there?” Jack asked as she pushed away her plate and reached for her glass of wine.

“To the beach? I was planning on taking my car. I can barely fit in yours, let alone fit in it with a weeks’ worth of stuff,” Gibbs deadpanned as he stabbed a piece of grilled zucchini.

“Driving up and cutting across New Jersey or taking the ferry?” Jack snorted with a healthy eyeroll.

“How about we take the ferry on the way up?” Gibbs offered as he picked up a tater tot, dipping it in the remaining ketchup on Jack’s plate.

“Sounds perfect,” Jack said as she stood up to clear off the table. She took the dishes into the kitchen, leaving Gibbs outside to text with Finn who had just sent him a message with every excited and beach themed emoji he could find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Lost my writing mojo for a while but I think I'm back.
> 
> I sat down to work on this chapter after spending a good deal of the day looking online and reading about the fire at the Ocean City boardwalk which broke out this morning. My girls grew up on the boardwalk and were devastated to hear about the fire.
> 
> We have been going to Ocean City each summer with extended family and friends for almost 30 years. The house described in the story is own by a family member and is the house we stay in. As our family has grown we've taken over both units of the house as well as another house down the block.

Gibbs surveyed the trunk of his car one last time. How in the world they needed so much stuff for a week at the beach, in a fully furnished and outfitted house was beyond him. But he also knew better than to question things.

“Okay, I think that’s it,” Jack announced as she came out the front door, tote bag thrown over her shoulder. “Good to lock up?” she called across the yard. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Gibbs answered after taking a minute to think about it. It wasn’t like they were going to the middle of nowhere, Ocean City had stores if they needed anything.

After a stop for coffee and bagels they were on their way.

The trip across Maryland and Delaware was scenic. Earlier in the week they’d realized that cutting across the states to the ferry was actually going to make the trip longer but the idea of the ferry was appealing, to both of them.

************

“I’m glad we came this way,” Jack announced as they stood on the deck of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. The day was beautiful, sunny but not oppressively hot, at least not at 11:30 in the morning.

“Yeah, it is kind of nice,” Gibbs answered as he leaned over the railing, looking down at the water below.

The 85 minutes trip across Delaware Bay went by quickly. They got some coffee, walked around the deck a little, even catching a glimpse of a few dolphins who were happily swimming next to the ferry.

As New Jersey came into view, they headed back to the car when they heard the overhead announcement. The ferry pulled into the terminal and the rumbling stopped as the engines were cut off. Gibbs fidgeted in his seat, drumming his long fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the SUV in front of them to move.

“Relax,” Jack said absently as she put her hand on his knee. “You want to get some lunch in Cape May? We have plenty of time, we can’t get the keys from the realtor until 2:30.”

“Sounds good. You want to find a place?” Gibbs asked as he pointed towards her phone which was sitting in the cup holder. His new phone was sitting in the mount, Waze open and ready to help them navigate to Ocean City. He had to admit the navigation was very handy.

**********

Half an hour after driving off the ferry Gibbs and Jack were settled at a table at Harpoon’s on the Bay with some local beers and a plate of steamed clams in between them. 

They had a leisurely lunch, killing time until they were able to pick up the keys to the house at the realtor.

**********

“You navigate, I’ll drive,” Jack offered as she held out her hand for the keys. Gibbs had had an extra beer at lunch, leading to her offer to drive.

“Deal,” Gibbs said with a grin as he signed the credit card slip and tossed her the keys. They walked hand in hand to the car. Gibbs slid into the passenger’s seat with his usual groan.

They took the scenic route up, hugging the coast along the way. 

**********

A few minutes before 3:00 they pulled in front of the house. It was in the middle of the block, across the street from a Catholic church, a block and a half from the beach. About half the houses on the block were newer, most raised off the ground with huge decks and fancy rocks and plants in the small front yards. Most of the other houses were older but had been renovated and enlarged over the years. A few, including the one they rented, the one directly next to it as well as a few others scattered on the block were clearly original to what Gibbs’ guessed was the late 1960’s. 

Their front yard was stone with a concrete paver path leading to the front steps. There were two well maintained flower beds, one on either side of the steps. The concrete porch had a small white plastic table with 4 chairs on one side and a pair of chairs with a small side table on the other.

Jack opened the front door while Gibbs grabbed his backpack and her tote bag. They stepped in to find the inside of the house tastefully decorated in shades of tan, peach and light green. There was a small living room to the right, a dining table to the left with a small but functional galley kitchen behind. The hall ran the length of the house with a bathroom on the left, small bedroom with a twin bed, perfect for Phineas on the right, master bedroom at the end, another bedroom with twin beds to the far right.

“It’s perfect,” Jack announced as she set her tote bag down on the table. She got herself a drink of water while Gibbs went out to start unpacking the car.

Less than an hour later they were basically unpacked. The kitchen was well equipped with everything they were likely to need, most importantly a coffee maker.

Jack put away the last few food items while Gibbs closed up the car and took a walk around the house. There was parking in the back for at least three cars, an outside shower, shed, storage bin with beach chairs as well as a new grill. The steps to the second floor unit were on the right side of the house.

Gibbs went back in the house to find Jack putting the sheets on the bed. “You could have waited for me to help,” he said, grabbing one corner of the fitted sheet, stretching it over the mattress.

“It’s no big deal,” Jack assured him. They finished their bed and Gibbs went to put sheets on the bed in the little room for when Finn would arrive later in the week. Jack kicked off her sneakers and found her flip flops. 

“Finn’s room is ready for him. You want to go check out the beach?” Gibbs offered as he stuck his head back in their room finding Jack standing in front of the mirror, pulling her hair back.

“Sure. I’ll just skip the bathing suit today, it’s already 4:00,” she said, glancing at her watch.

“Okay,” Gibbs muttered with a little disappointment coming across his features.

“You’ll have 6 days to see me in my bathing suit,” Jack teased as she scooted by him, rolling her eyes as she did. 

Jack grabbed a book off the shelf in the living room and two bottles of water. She put everything in her beach bag while Gibb’s found his flip flops and book. They grabbed beach tags from the kitchen table and chairs out of the storage bin before heading to the beach.

The beach wasn’t too crowded as most weekly renters were still unpacking and getting settled. They set their chairs about 5 yards from the edge of the water. The tide was going out so there was little danger of them getting completely wet. 

“God, I could get used to this,” Jack muttered as she pushed her sunglasses up and turned her face towards the sun.

Gibbs just chuckled at her and turned his attention to his book. The book held his attention for about half an hour before he fell asleep. Jack read for a while, splitting her attention between the book, the surf, the gulls and her sleeping companion.

Eventually Jack set her book aside and got up to stick her feet in the water. It was pretty warm and she was getting excited to surf for the first time in a few years. She’d rented a surfboard and it was being delivered in the morning.

Lost in her thoughts and the sound of the waves she didn’t hear Gibbs come up behind her. He grabbed her around the waist and she let out a little shriek. 

“Thought you were still sleeping,” she said as she wrapped her hands around his arms, leaning back against him.

“Gulls woke me,” he said as he leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. “You want to take a quick walk?”

“Sure,” Jack agreed. 

They walked south for a little while, enjoying walking in the water. Jack collected some shells, handing them one by one to Gibbs.

“Yeah, good thing I wore cargo shorts,” he teased as he patted his pocket.

“I’ll bring a bag next time,” Jack said with a grin as she grabbed his hand and turned them around to head back to their chairs.

************

Jack set the pot of chili on the stove while Gibbs opened two beers. They had cooked a few meals ahead of time to bring with them. Nothing fancy, things they could heat up at the end of the day without any fuss.

While the chili heated, Gibbs mixed up the cornbread and Jack grabbed the bowls out of the cabinet.

“You want to eat outside?” she asked as she grabbed the butter out of the fridge.

“Sure,” Gibbs agreed as he gave the chili a stir.

They ate out on the front porch, enjoying the salty air and cool breeze. 

“To an excellent idea,” Jack said, holding up her beer. Gibbs tapped his bottle against hers with a wink and a crooked grin. 

They debated going to check out the boardwalk later that night but Aunt Betty’s, the ice cream place around the corner was calling to them instead. They had plenty of time for the boardwalk.

It had been a long day and both were asleep by 10:00.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> Hopefully it will not take two months to get the next chapter written. I have some time off in a few weeks. I'm going away alone and have plans to work on this as well as another unfinished story in the West Wing fandom.


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs was awake at his usual 5:45 the next morning. Jack was still sound asleep, curled up against him, cheek pressed to the back of his shoulder, arm thrown over his waist. He carefully slipped out of bed, brushing back her hair before heading to make the all important first pot of coffee of the day.

While the coffee brewed Gibbs opened the front door to let the breeze in. He turned on the television to catch the headlines and the weather. The bubbly female weatherperson announced it would be sunny and in the mid 80s for most of the week. Perfect beach weather.

When the coffee maker beeped, he poured a cup and sat down in the chair by the door. With the first satisfying sip he propped his feet on the wicker ottoman to watch the sports headlines. 

He was halfway done the pot of coffee when Jack wandered out, enticed by the sound of the seagulls, the bright sun and the smell of coffee.

“Morning,” she said as she pressed a quick kiss to the top of Gibbs’ head before grabbing some coffee for herself.

They finished up the local news before heading to the kitchen to make some bacon and eggs for breakfast. 

“What is with all the traffic at 7:25 on a Sunday morning?” Gibbs muttered to himself as he glanced out the front windows. “Ah, mass at the church across the street,” he said after investigating the situation. 

“So, beach this morning?” Gibbs asked, already knowing what Jack’s answer would be. “In your bathing suit,” he added. He tried to step back to get out of the way of the dishtowel Jack was snapping at him, but the narrow kitchen made that all but impossible and she managed to catch him in the chest. 

“Yes, in my bathing suit,” Jack assured him. “Pack some drinks and snacks while I go get ready. The little cooler is on the bottom shelf in here,” she added, tapped the door to the pantry closet as she passed by on the way to the bedroom. 

Jack emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later. Much to Gibbs’ disappointment, she was already wearing a polka-dotted cover up. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, sunglasses propped up on her head.

Gibbs went to get changed into his own swimsuit while Jack brushed her teeth and found her book on the coffee table. She rinsed the coffee pot and turned out the kitchen light

*************

They settled down about 10 yards from the edge of the water as the tide was coming in. Gibbs set up the umbrella and placed his chair under it, not wanting to get too much sun on their first full day of vacation. 

Jack set her chair up in the sun. She put on some sunscreen, taking Gibbs up on his offer to put some on her back for her. He put it on carefully, getting a close up look at the scars on her back for the first time in a long time. Gibbs pressed a kiss to the back of her shoulder before handing the can of sunscreen back to her. “Thanks,” Jack whispered with a small smile before settling down with her book. 

Much to Jack’s surprise Gibbs was able to just sit down and relax without a lot of nagging or even much prompting. He read for a long while and enjoyed the sights, both the ocean and his companion in her bathing suit. It was a one piece; he was still holding out for a bikini sighting sometime during the week. 

“Okay, I’m hot, let’s go,” Jack muttered a while later as she wiped her face with the back of her hand.

“Go where,” Gibbs muttered, still engrossed in his book.

“Swimming, come on, join me,” Jack said as she pulled off her sunglasses and put them in the beach bag. She turned to head towards the water, glancing back over her shoulder to see him admiring her in her bathing suit. He blushed and quickly glanced away, having basically been caught gawking at her. Jack just chuckled and ran for the water, throwing herself over the first waist deep wave. Gibbs wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about just jumping in but after Jack splashed him a few times he figured his best option was to just throw himself over the next wave. Which he did to Jack’s amusement.

The ocean was calm and warm, not a good day for surfing but a good day to just float around. They stayed in the water for almost an hour, holding hands as they floated over the swells. It was the most relaxed the two of them had felt around each other in a very long time. 

Their nice relaxing swim ended when Jack stepped on a crab, shrieking in surprise as she climbed on Gibbs’ back.

“Problem Sloane?” he deadpanned as he reached around and hooked his hands under her knees, pulling her close.

“Crab,” she muttered as she brushed her hair out of her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. They jumped a few waves like that until Gibbs unceremoniously flipped her off into an oncoming wave with a laugh.

They got out and dried off before heading back to the house for lunch.

**********

Jack’s surfboard got delivered just as they were finishing up with their sandwiches. She went out to meet the guy, leaving Gibbs to clean up.

“Going to try when we go back this afternoon?” Gibbs asked as he walked out the front door. Jack had the board propped on the railing and she was waxing it. 

“Think I’ll wait until tomorrow. Probably go out early in the morning, less likely to embarrass myself,” she teased. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out.”

“But I’m coming with. Been waiting to see you out there since we first talked about this trip in the Spring,” Gibbs announced. Jack just looked at him for a second, trying to decide if his tone was teasing or serious. She decided he was pretty serious, although he did have a little sheepish grin on his face. “I’m going to go grab a Sunday paper. You need anything while I’m out?” he asked as he patted his pockets for his car keys and wallet.

“You want to get some rolls. We can have hamburgers for dinner?” Jack answered.

“Sounds good. I’ll be back soon. You keep waxing your board, or whatever it is you’re doing,” he teased. 

“Remind me why I like you?” Jack snapped right back with a snort. 

“Cause ya got good taste,” Gibbs called over his shoulder with a chuckle.

****************

They spent a relaxing afternoon on the beach. Gibbs read his newspaper and they worked on the crossword puzzle together. Before heading back to the house, they went for a long walk. Jack had remembered to bring a plastic bag with her for her shells and other beach treasures. They took a couple of selfies and sent them to Phineas. He was very excited to hear from them and was beyond excited to join them on Thursday. 

While Gibbs grilled the burgers he and Jack talked to Mary, the owner of the house who had arrived just before the pair had returned from the beach. Mary declined their offer of a burger. She was waiting on her cousin to join her for the week and they had plans to go out to eat. 

“I could get used to this,” Jack said as she settled down on one of the chairs on the porch with a glass of wine after dinner. 

“Me too,” Gibbs said as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

The sun was starting to set and the air was turning a touch cooler. Gibbs sat down on the stool in front of her and set his beer down on the floor next to him. He pulled her feet into his lap, rubbing his hand over her leg. One full day at the beach and she was already starting to tan. One full day at the beach and all he had were pink cheeks and some faint freckles. 

“You want to go for a walk?” Gibbs asked as he drained his beer.

“Sure,” Jack agreed. 

They crossed the alley behind the house and walked the block to the bay to admire the sky, glowing orange and red. As the sun dipped further towards the horizon, they headed north on West Ave. The first few blocks were just rows of houses, some were newer ones but a fair amount were older yet well maintained houses. Gibbs admired the craftsmanship of the homes; Jack admired the décor.

They passed by some tennis and basketball courts and a large playground which was filled with kids running around.

“I’m sure Finn and I will end up here at least once,” Gibbs said, pointing towards the basketball courts.

They crossed 34th St. coming up to Hoy’s, an old fashioned 5 & 10 store which looked like something out of years gone by. They went inside for a little while, out of curiosity more than anything else. Jack went to look at beach stuff while Gibbs wandered around the large toy and game section. He grabbed a deck of cards and a pink Spalding ball, the kind he remembered fondly from his stickball games when he was a kid. He hadn’t seen them in years and holding it in his hand brought back a flood of memories. He reached to grab another one for Finn.

They paid for their purchases and headed back towards the house. They walked around the playground, coming back down Asbury Ave. 

*****************

“Did we bring Oreos?” Gibbs asked, sticking his head in the pantry cabinet.

“Middle shelf, I think,” Jack called from down the hall where she was looking in the hall closet for the games and puzzles Mary had told her were in there. She found a jigsaw puzzle of a beach scene. She turned the light on over the table and dumped the pieces out. Gibbs helped her pick out the edge pieces but then his attention waned, and he turned on the television to find a baseball game.

By 10:30 Jack had the puzzle outline done and Gibbs was asleep on the couch. She locked up and brushed her teeth before kneeling next to him to wake him up and send him to bed. She ran her fingers through his hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Jethro, come to bed,” she whispered. His eyes fluttered open and it took him a second to figure out exactly where he was.

“Okay,” he whispered as he levered himself up to sitting. He let Jack pull him to his feet. She pointed him towards the bedroom and gave him a little shove in the right direction.

Jack grabbed a bottle of water and turned out the light in the kitchen before joining him in bed. He was almost asleep by the time she crawled in next to him but he was still awake enough to kiss her goodnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for the kudos and comments.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack was up before the sun, and Gibbs, the next morning, something that rarely happened. She started the coffee maker and ate a banana and peanut butter for a little energy to help her ride the waves. She checked the tide table on her phone while she ate. As she heard the beep of the coffee maker, she also heard the door to the bedroom open and Gibbs head into the bathroom. Jack poured him a cup of coffee and set it on the table for him.

Twenty minutes later they set off for the beach. The sun was just still low over the horizon when they stepped onto the beach. The day was already warm, for that Jack was glad. Gibbs chivalrously carried her surfboard and his coffee, while Jack carried a chair for him and the beach bag. 

“So, when exactly does the bikini come out?” Gibbs teased as he set the board down on the sand and held out his hand for the chair. Dressed in black board shorts and a floral rash guard, Jack was clearly dressed for the business of catching a wave.

“You’re kind of obsessed with my bikini, aren’t you Jethro?” He just blushed a little and gave a little shrug of his shoulders. “How about later?” Jack smirked as she pulled off her sunglasses and kicked off her flip flops.

“Deal,” Gibbs said with a big goofy grin as he sat down in the chair. Jack kissed the top of his head and set off into the water.

The waves were pretty close to perfect and Jack quickly found her groove. It had been a few years since she’d been surfing but, just like riding a bike, it came back quickly. Gibbs moved from his chair to stand in ankle deep water to admire his----friend? girlfriend? poorly defined partner? He tried taking a few videos, his skills increasing in tandem with Jack’s confidence on the water.

He watched as Jack took a fairly big wave. She was doing well, until the curl crashed a bit harder than she had anticipated and she went down in fairly shallow water. Gibbs took a few steps further out in the water to check on her, mindful of the new phone in his hand.

“You okay?” he called as Jack got up slowly.

“Think so,” Jack called back as she picked up the board and walked towards him. She released the leash from around her ankle and handed the end of it to Gibbs. She splashed some water on her knee, washing away a little bit of blood from where she had skidded along the ocean floor for a few feet. “You want to try?” Jack offered as she pointed towards the board.

“You’re bleeding, I think I’ll pass,” he answered quickly.

“Suit yourself, let me get a few more waves in before it starts to get crowded,” Jack said as she took the leash back from him and secured it around her ankle. It was still early but some morning beachgoers were starting to trickle down, mostly families with small kids who had obviously gotten up early, eager to start their beach adventures. 

Gibbs sat back down to finish his coffee. He tried to look at the videos he had attempted to take, but the rising sun made that all but impossible. So he turned his attention back to Jack. She was clearly getting more comfortable with each wave.

At 8:30, Jack rode one last wave in and head for the shore. They packed up their things and headed off the beach, dodging half a dozen kids on the way.

“You want to go out for breakfast, line at Uncle Bill’s doesn’t look too bad,” Gibbs offered as he pointed to the restaurant a block away as the pair crossed Asbury Ave.

“Sure, sounds good, I’m starving,” Jack declared.

They dodged another group of kids and a few strollers during their half block walk up Asbury Ave to the house.

“I’ll just get rinsed off in the outside shower. Can you grab me a towel and my robe?” Jack asked as she kicked off her flip flops and moved to grab the hose to get the sand off her board.

“As you wish,” Gibbs answered with a smile.

While Jack took a quick shower, Gibbs pulled the hose around to the front of the house to water the flowers. The sound of someone watering brought Mary to the front deck to shout down her thanks.

*************

“I don’t think I’m eating again today,” Jack muttered as she pushed away her now empty plate, which half an hour earlier had held a stack of pancakes and a side of sausage.

“You say that now, but we both know that’s not true,” Gibbs smirked as he poured himself the rest of the coffee.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jack smirked back. “What should we do today? Beach a little later? You probably shouldn’t be out in the sun all day,” she said as she reached over and pressed her hand to Gibbs cheek which was a nice shade of pink.

“Yeah, probably not. I talked to Mary for a few minutes while you were showering. She said there’s a nice zoo in Cape May. There’s downtown Ocean City, which we haven’t checked out yet, or the boardwalk.”

“I’m sure we’ll be at the boardwalk with Finn at least once. How about the zoo?” Jack suggested. “Haven’t been to a zoo since the week after I moved to DC.”

“Yeah, we won’t talk about how long it’s been since I’ve set foot in a zoo,” Gibbs laughed. “Tali tried to get me to go last month but I’d already given Tim the day off to go the zoo with the kids, someone had to work.”

“So the zoo sounds like a plan, you finished?” Jack asked, pointing at Gibbs white coffee mug.

“Yep,” he said as he stood up. Jack beat him to the check their young waitress had left on the table a few minutes earlier.

**************

The pair spend a nice, relaxing morning and early afternoon at the zoo. Although Mary had hyped it up, there were still surprised at how nice it was, given the fact that it was run by Cape May County and free. They just asked for a donation at the gate.

Armed with a map and sense of adventure, they took off. The zoo wasn’t large, but it was very well maintained and the setting was beautiful. Along the way, Jack learned that Gibbs was less than fond of reptiles and he learned birds were not her thing. They both enjoyed the boardwalk area which gave a great view of the zebras and giraffes. After a quick stop for a drink and a snack they were on the road back to the house.

As Ocean City was a dry town, they stopped at the liquor store just before the bridge over to the island. They stocked up on a few things for the week, impressed by the vast selection.

“Beach?” Jack asked as the went inside the house.

“Sure,” Gibbs answered as he tossed his keys and wallet on the table. 

Jack put away the liquor while Gibbs returned a text from Phineas, sending a few pictures from the zoo and a video of Jack surfing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are ever in the South Jersey area, the Cape May County Zoo is great.
> 
> Ocean City is actually a dry town and the liquor store they stopped at is real. It is enormous and my kids have been calling it "House O Liquor" since they were in middle school.


	6. Chapter 6

“Happy now?” Jack asked as she came out of the bedroom a little after 2:30 dressed in a black bikini, hair in a messy bun.

“Hmmm?” Gibbs asked without looking up. He was sitting in the chair by the front door, elbows on his knees he was looking at something on his phone. 

Jack walked down the length of the hallway and smacked Gibbs on the side of his head to get his attention. “Wow,” he muttered as he got a good look at her. He tried to say more but his mouth instantly went dry and he was unable to speak. Taking the sight in, he saw the bikini was tasteful, not skimpy, and a lot of other adjectives he was having trouble forming in his brain.

“You like?” Jack teased as she tossed aside his phone on the couch across the room. She leaned over to kiss the top of his head.

“Uh, not sure how to answer than question. Of course, I, uh, I like it,” he stuttered out, instantly blushing.

Jack just chuckled and leaned over to kiss him. Gibbs wrapped an arm around her waist, getting her just enough off balance that she ended up in his lap. She threw her legs over the arm of the chair, getting comfortable. A few more kisses and Jack pulled back to look Gibbs in the eye. “All this over a bathing suit?” she teased with a little smirk. She bit her lip, waiting for his reply.

“No,” Gibbs whispered as he reached to pull her hair loose from the bun she’d hastily put it up on after putting on after changing. 

Jack pressed a hand to his cheek before leaning over and whispering in his ear, “What are you waiting for Marine?” she chuckled.

“Waiting for you to say something like that,” Gibbs whispered back as he ran his hand down her back, lingering in the space between the two pieces of the black swimsuit. “Are you sure?” he asked, not able to look Jack in the eye.  
Jack reached to hook her finger under Gibbs’ chin, lifting it just enough to look him in the eye. “I’m sure. We’ve spent too much time dancing around,” she said softly as she stood up and pulled Gibbs to his feet. 

“I don’t dance,” Gibbs whispered as he wrapped his arms around Jack, resting his chin on the top of her head. 

“I don’t really dance either,” Jack said as she took him by the hand to led him to the bedroom.  
Gibbs was rooted to the spot for a second too long and nearly stumbled as he took his first step down the hall, still holding Jack’s hand.

As Jack closed the bedroom door, they suddenly took a collective breath as the reality of what they were about to do hit both of them. 

“You’re not about to change your mind, are you?” Jack asked as Gibbs took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Nope,” he said, shaking his head a little. Jack took a step towards him, standing between his knees, hands on his shoulders. Gibbs arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. 

“Enjoying the view?” Jack teased as she realized Gibbs’ face was pretty much pressed up against her bikini top. 

“Yeah, not sure how to answer that either,” he muttered with a stifled groan. 

“How about I help you out a little,” Jack snorted as she took a step back and reached to pull the top off over her head.

“Beautiful,” Gibbs said with a shy smile as Jack leaned forward to pull his t-shirt over his head, no sense in only one of them being half dressed.

“You too,” Jack said as she reached to trace the scar bisecting his chest. The last time she’d done that was the day Gibbs returned from Hawaii. The day they’d stopped just short of where things were currently heading. When Jack had traced to the bottom of Gibbs’ scar she pushed him on his back, reaching to undo the button on his camo cargo shorts. He mustered enough brain power to lift his hips up a little so she could slide his shorts and boxers off. Then it was Jack’s turn to do the admiring.

“Wow, I’ve made you speechless,” Gibbs teased as he stood up and pushed the comforter down to the end of the bed. Jack laughed as she shimmied out of her bikini bottoms, rendering Gibbs speechless again.

“Last chance to turn back,” Jack said with enough edge to her voice to let Gibbs know she was serious. She wanted their decision to take the next logical step to be made mutually and rationally, with their heads and hearts.

“Don’t need the chance,” Gibbs muttered as he pulled her down next to him.

And for the next while, time stood still. Things were predictably and comfortably awkward, hands a bit clumsy, movements a little stilted, words slightly unsure.

In short, it was perfectly them.

**************

“Regrets?” Jack asked with a little smile as she came back into the room, carrying two bottles of water. She closed the door behind her and adjusted the air conditioner a little, as usual Gibbs had it too high and she was freezing.

“Nope,” Gibbs said as he sat up against the headboard, sheet just pulled up to his hips. His hair was sticking up in all directions and he had a very contented look on his face. Jack handed him the water bottles and pulled one of his t-shirts out of the drawer, pulling it over her head as she sat down cross legged next to him. She took the water he held out to her, tapping her bottle against his with a smile. “Come here,” Gibbs said, opening his arms up. Jack set her water on the nightstand and crawled into his embrace. 

“Now what? Where do things go from here?” Jack asked as she interlaced her fingers with his, laying their hands on his chest.

“Nothing changes. I mean, those who love us will be thrilled. Nobody else matters,” he said simply as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Not sure who will be more thrilled, Tony or Finn,” Gibbs teased.

“I’m guessing that will be a tie,” Jack said as she ran her hand over Gibbs’ stubbled cheek. He hadn’t showered yet and was in need of a shave.

“So, still want to go to the beach in your bikini?” Gibbs asked with a snort.

“Sure,” Jack answered as she kissed his cheek and rolled off the bed. She pulled the bikini back on while Gibbs watched with a goofy grin on his face. “You might want to get a bathing suit on too, Gibbs,” Jack pointed out as she pulled her coverup off the hook on the back of the door. He slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom, deftly dodging past Jack as she tried to smack in the ass.

Jack went into the kitchen while Gibbs changed. Suddenly starving, she remembered they hadn’t actually eaten lunch. She made some sandwiches and packed some other snacks for the beach. She was just finishing up putting a few cans of soda in the cooler when Gibbs returned, dressed in his bathing suit and the t-shirt Jack had been wearing minutes earlier.

************  
The pair spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the early evening on the beach. They ate their snacks, swam for a while and took a long walk.

The sun was starting to dip below the beach front houses when they finally packed up their things and headed back to the house.

They took quick showers and settled on the porch with some beers. They hadn’t decided what to do for the evening and were thoroughly enjoying their lack of plans.

“How ya feeling Cowboy?” Jack asked as she nudged Gibbs foot with hers. 

“I feel good, happy, content,” he said after a moment’s thought.

“Me too,” Jack agreed as she reached to hook her pinky with his. “Feel like checking out the boardwalk?” she asked.

“That code for you want junk food?” Gibbs teased.

“Jethro, you know me too well,” Jack snorted as she pushed herself to her feet.

“Hey Jack, I like when you do that,” he said quietly as he held the front door open for her. 

“Call you by your first name?” she guessed, not having any other idea what in the world he was talking about.

“Yeah.“

“Seems kind of appropriate now, don’t ya think?” Jack teased.

“Very appropriate. Now I just need to get Finn to stop calling me Jethro Gibbs,” he chuckled as he carried the empty bottles to the recycling bin under the sink.

“Good luck with that,” Jack called as she headed to grab her sneakers.

*************

The pair spent a couple of hours on the boardwalk. They walked almost the length of it, stopping to look in some shops along the way. Jack beat Gibbs at Skee-Ball and they made sure to stop for plenty of junk food. They started with fries from Jilly’s and fudge from Shriver’s before ending with Kohr Brothers custard, coffee and chocolate swirl for him, chocolate with rainbow sprinkles for Jack.

After spending a few minutes at the end of the Music Pier, admiring the moon over the ocean and the lights of Atlantic City to the north they headed back for the car. 

*************

Jack was worried things might become awkward when they got back to the house and settled down. They’d gone from the bed, to the beach, to the boardwalk without much downtime.

She shouldn’t have worried. Gibbs was fading fast by the time they got back to the house. He went to change for bed while Jack checked her email and texted Ellie. 

By 11:00 they were both in bed, content, happy and in the case of Gibbs, a little sunburned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this, canon has officially been tossed out the window. Feels pretty good! 
> 
> To those of you who urged me to do it, my eternal thanks.
> 
> To those of you expecting smut, not happening. I've tried to write it and it just comes out sounding ridiculous. 
> 
> As with the rest of this story, all the places I've described are real places in and around Ocean City. And "Mary" is my mom's cousin who owns the house we stay in. The cousin she was waiting in a previous chapter, is my mom. Names have been changed just because.
> 
> Thanks for your continued support, comments and kudos.


	7. Chapter 7

Jack woke with a start. She reached out towards the other side of the bed and came up with nothing but a handful of sheets. Brushing the hair out of her eyes she sat up and looked around. The light in the bathroom was off but she could see the faint bluish glow of the television coming down the hall. A quick check of her cell phone let her know it was a little before 1:00. She padded down the hall quietly in case Gibbs was asleep on the couch. 

She found him sitting on the couch under the tan throw. There was a glass of what she assumed was ginger ale on the coffee table. And judging by the half-melted ice cubes, there was a pretty good chance he hadn’t actually slept at all. 

“Hey, you okay?” Jack asked as she leaned over the arm of the couch and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

“Yeah, too much junk I think, gut’s not real happy,” Gibbs said with a vague wave of his arm as he lowered the volume a little. 

“Food Network?” Jack teased as she noticed he was watching an old episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

“Not much on in the middle of the night,” he chuckled as he scooted over and lifted the edge of the blanket, giving Jack both room and an invitation to join him. 

Jack settled down at the end of the couch and tossed a pillow in her lap. Gibbs stretched out, head in her lap, feet propped on the opposite arm. She tossed the blanket over him and propped her feet on the coffee table.  
“Didn’t sleep at all?” Jack said, her words coming out somewhere between a statement and a question.

“I don’t think so,” Gibbs admitted with a little shrug of his shoulders.

“Just your gut?”

“That and I guess too much thinking,” he said vaguely as he reached to mute the television. Something told him that they might be about to get into a deep discussion. One he wasn’t really thrilled about having in the middle of the night.

“Thinking too much? Not having regrets, are you?” Jack asked seriously.

“None, I swear,” Gibbs answered as he clumsily pulled his hand out from under the blanket at crossed his heart. “Just trying to wrap my head around things, suppose. It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to share my life with someone, suppose it’s little unnerving.”

“Jethro, we’ve basically been sharing our lives with each other for almost two years. There was only one thing we hadn’t shared. And now we have,” Jack said simply. He let her words sink in for a minute. He eventually just gave a little nod and a smile. 

“Who are we telling first?” he asked with a grin.

“You can tell Tony. I think Finn will ask if I’m your girlfriend yet, as he does about once a week,” Jack teased. “As for the team, I think they’ll figure it out really quickly. Especially Ellie.”

“And Ducky. I have never been able to keep anything from him,” Gibbs said. “I feel like we should be doing something,” he muttered.

“Doing something? Didn’t we already do something?” Jack teased as she leaned over to give him a quick kiss.

“Yeah, we did,” Gibbs chuckled. “I don’t know. I’m think I’m overthinking things. I blame Grace for that. And speaking of Grace, she’ll be thrilled,” he added with a little snort.

“Yeah, she will be thrilled. Thinking is a good thing, not going to argue with that, but maybe we can think later, like when the sun comes up?” Jack suggested as she poked his shoulder.

“Yeah, we can do that,” Gibbs answered as he sat up slowly. 

Jack pulled him to his feet and pointed him down the hall in the direction of the bedroom. She turned off the television and set his glass in the sink. He was almost asleep by the time she crawled into bed a few minutes later.

**********

Jack woke up a little after 6:00. For a second she cursed her inability to sleep in, even on vacation. But her annoyance was tamped down as she got a good look at the sleeping man next to her. Gibbs was stretched out on his stomach, one arm hanging of the bed, the other tucked under the pillow. He was facing her, still sound asleep. She pressed a quick kiss to his forehead and slipped out of the bed, hoping he would be able to get some more sleep, clearly he needed it.

She padded down the hall towards the kitchen to start the coffee. While it brewed, Jack went outside to grab her board shorts and rash guard off the clothesline out back. She grabbed his bathing suit too, along with the beach towels they’d used the day before.

By 6:45 she’d had finished two cups of coffee, watched the early news and found a few pieces to the puzzle. She checked on Gibbs as even the sound of the television and the smell of coffee hadn’t nudged him awake. He was still sound asleep, having migrated to the middle of the bed, taking up most if it with his long arms and legs. She threw on the board shorts and top, figuring she’d go ride a few waves.

“What time is it?” Gibbs muttered as he wiped his eyes. He found Jack standing in front of the mirror, pulling her hair back. 

“Almost 7:00. I’m going to catch a few waves. Want me to wait for you?” she asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed his back for a few seconds.

“I’ll pass, if that’s okay with you,” he muttered as he levered himself up a little to sit crossed legged on the bed.

“Not a problem. We don’t need to spend 24/7 together,” Jack teased. “There’s coffee brewed. I’ll be back in a while.”

“Great. Mary was telling me about this bakery nearby. Maybe I’ll go get something for breakfast. You want anything in particular?”

“Nope, surprise me,” Jack answered as she gave him a quick kiss before heading out the front door. She grabbed her board and a towel, figuring since she was just going alone, she was going to travel light. Shoving her feet in her flip flops she waved to the neighbors who were already out on their porch with their coffee.

Jack spent an hour or so out on the water. There were big enough waves to get some good rides but not so big that she ended up being tossed about and slammed to the sand.

************

While Jack was enjoying the waves, Jethro finished the coffee she’d made before heading to Dot’s Bakery. True to Mary’s description, there was a line out of the door. He took a look at the menu through the window, deciding on 3 jelly donuts and 3 chocolate with sprinkles. Jack, he’d learned over the past couple of years, had a thing for rainbow sprinkles.

By the time Gibbs got back to the house, Jack was coming down the street, surfboard tucked under her arm, towel wrapped around her neck. He grabbed the white bakery box off the passenger’s seat and closed the door with his hip. 

“Good waves?” he asked as Jack headed for the hose to rinse off her feet and her board.

“Great,” she answered as she turned on the water. “Put on some more coffee, I’m sure you finished what I made earlier,” she threw over her shoulder, earning her a little grunt.

*************

“This is really good,” Jack declared as she bit into one of the chocolate donuts. “Thanks for the sprinkles,” she added as she held out the donut for him to try. He declined with a little shake of his head, but he did reach out to wipe away the two stray sprinkles on her chin. “Mary make any other suggestions of things to try?”

“Manco and Manco’s pizza on the boardwalk, The Crab Trap for a nice dinner out and the bread from Bennie’s downtown. Have to try them out, she hasn’t been wrong yet. And I was telling her about Finn coming. She said there’s boogie boards and stuff in the shed he can use if he wants to.”

“That’s sweet,” Jack replied as she stood up to pour more coffee. “What do you want to do today?”

“How about beach in the morning and maybe check out downtown this afternoon,” Gibbs offered as he got up to find his reading glasses so he could work on the puzzle for a few minutes. “Do you want to go out for a nice dinner tonight?”

“Sounds good. Wait, did you just volunteer to go shopping?” Jack teased.

“Maybe, Mary was telling me about a few antiques places, sound interesting. And I’m sure I can always find a cup of coffee and a bench if I get tired of shopping,” he teased as he slipped a puzzle piece in with a triumphant grin. 

*************

They headed to the beach with no plan other than to simply enjoy the beach and each other. As they were a little later heading for the beach than they had been in previous days, it was fairly crowded by the time they arrived. They found a spot a bit further down the beach, setting up at the high-water line as the tide was heading out. 

Jack talked him into a walk before he settled down in his chair. They headed off hand in hand, just as relaxed as could be. Hot and sweaty after their walk they went in the water to cool off a bit.

After a long swim they settled down in the chairs, Gibbs under the umbrella as he was starting to burn a little, Jack next to him, just out of the shade. “You talk to anyone from work yet?” Jack asked as she reached for the bottle of sunscreen to spray a little more on her legs. She was already getting a nice tan and wanted to keep it that way. 

“Nope. Kinda surprised nobody has called yet,” Gibbs muttered as he took a drink from his water bottle. 

“Well Jethro, I think you did threaten some kind of bodily harm to the team,” Jack helpfully pointed out. “Not that that usually stops them,” she added.

“Didn’t even hear from Tony over the weekend. I know he and Ziva were taking Tali to London for a few days. Seems like maybe Ziva is actually trying to make their little family work. I just hope that’s what Tony wants. He hasn’t said much about it since I got back from Paris last month. Maybe I’ll try to call him later,” Gibbs sighed as he stretched out a bit more in his chair.

Jack’s phone rang and she dug it out of her bag, almost disappointed to see it was a Potential Spam call. She quickly showed Gibbs the screen and tossed it back in the bag.

“You’re dying to call someone, aren’t you?” Gibbs teased as he nudged her foot with his.

“At the risk of sounding like a teenaged girl, yes, I am,” Jack admitted as she leaned over putting her head in her hands trying not to laugh too hard. 

Gibbs leaned towards her and grabbed her hands. “Me too,” he chuckled. 

“God, we’re pathetic,” she moaned.

“Yeah, probably,” Jethro agreed as he wiped his hand over his face. 

The temperature was already nearing 90 and it wasn’t even noon. He finished his bottle of water and pulled his book and reading glasses out of the bag. Jack did the same and they read for almost an hour. Or more precisely, Jack read for almost an hour, about half an hour in, Gibbs’ book had slipped from his grasp and landed in the sand. Jack rescued it and tossed it back in the bag. She threw a towel over his legs which were now in the sun before turning her attention back to her own reading.

It was almost 1:00 when Jack set aside her book and stood up. She stretched a little and quickly got the feeling she was being watched. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Gibbs smiling appreciatively at her in her bikini. He quickly averted his gaze when he realized he’d been caught.

“Thought you were still sleeping,” Jack teased as she knelt down next to his chair, leaning in for a quick kiss. “You ready to head up for lunch?”

“Yeah, give me a hand, I’ve been sitting too long,” he muttered as he held out his hand. Jack pulled him to his feet. While he packed up the umbrella, Jack packed up the rest of their things.

****************

After lunch Jack headed off the island to go to food store to stock up on a few things they were running low on and a few things she knew Finn would appreciate, Gatorade, Hershey’s chocolate syrup and Lucky Charms. The last one was something Gibbs would also enjoy.

When she headed out, Gibbs opened a bottle of beer and cleaned up from their lunch. Since they had plans to go out to dinner, he grabbed the only dress shirt he’d brought with him and set up the ironing board to touch it up a little. On a whim he grabbed his phone to see if he could catch Tony. In Paris it was between Tali’s bedtime and the time Tony usually tried to settle down himself. His iPhone and FaceTime made it quite easy, as opposed to having to set up the laptop and use Skype. Yet another perk to the smart phone Gibbs reluctantly had to admit he liked.

He propped the phone up and put the call through while the iron heated up.

“Hey Boss,” Tony answered as he quickly ran a hand through his out-of-control hair and straightened out his glasses. He sat down at his kitchen table and propped the phone up against the sugar bowl.

“Not your Boss,” Gibbs replied. It was the usual and predictable start to just about every conversation the two men had had for years.

“How’s vacation? You look surprisingly rested and a little sunburned. Things going well?” Tony asked. He figured he would start with a few vague questions before diving into the “good stuff”. He hoped there was “good stuff” to talk about.

“Going well, and yeah, a little sunburned I think,” Gibbs agreed as he pressed his hand to his cheek. “We’re having a nice time. Very relaxing. House and the location are perfect. Block and a half to the beach, ice cream around the corner and plenty of stuff to do within a short drive.”

“What are you doing?” Tony asked as he took a closer look at the phone, trying to figure out why Gibbs’ arm kept going in and out of the frame.

“Ironing, we’re going out to dinner later. Want to look halfway decent,” he explained as he held up the iron for a second.

“Of course, cause Jack will look more than halfway decent,” Tony teased.

“Yeah, she will,” Gibbs said, feeling his already pink cheeks turn red. “She’s been out surfing the past two mornings. Having a great time. And no, I have not tried it. Think I’ll just watch her from the sand.”

“I imagine that is a nice view from the sand,” Tony teased. Gibbs just nodded his head, trying not to laugh. 

“Give me a minute to hang this up,” he said as his white shirt came into Tony’s view.

“No problem, I’ll just be sitting here impatiently waiting for details, cause I think you have lots of them to tell,” Tony said, speaking just a little louder as Gibbs stepped away from the phone.

“Remind me why I like you,” Gibbs called down the hall.

“Because you put way too much time and effort into making me who I am. Can’t just abandon me now,” Tony said as the face of his former boss came back into view as Gibbs grabbed the phone and sat down on the couch. While Tony’s tone had a teasing edge to it, the sentiment was completely heartfelt, and Gibbs was well aware of that fact. “So just how much fun are the two of you having?” Tony asked, smirking as he propped his chin up on his hand.

“Enough,” Gibbs said cryptically. His little smirk and the fact he glanced away as he answered got Tony’s attention.

“Really?” Tony asked. Gibbs just nodded and smirked. It was all Tony could do to keep from cheering loudly. But Tali was asleep and Ziva was in her office “working”. “It’s about time,” he said with a grin.

“Yeah, that was kinda the reaction we both had too,” Gibbs admitted. “Like Jack said afterwards, we’ve basically been together for a while, this was just the last piece of the puzzle.”

“And the pieces fit?” Tony smirked, unable to keep from making the joke Gibbs had so nicely teed up for him. In return he got a snort and the middle finger. “In all seriousness, you know I’m thrilled, for both of you. Jack is the best thing that has happened to you since, well, in a very long time.”

“Since Shannon,” Gibbs said quietly. Tony just nodded in agreement. “You’re the first person who knows, unless Jack is calling people from the grocery store. Which is entirely possible,” he chuckled. “Anyway, things are good.”

“Phineas still coming?” Tony asked, giving Gibbs a chance to change the subject. He knew that while the older man become less closed off in recent years, Gibbs was still a very private person.

“Yeah, coming on Thursday morning. He is beyond excited. We are too, we miss that kid.”

“Someday I’ll get to meet him,” Tony said as he got up to get a drink.

“How are you feeling?” Gibbs asked. “You look a little better than you did when I left Paris last month.”

“Yeah, things are getting better. Meds are helping. Trying to get my sleep regulated a little more, cutting back on the late nights,” Tony explained with a little shrug of his shoulders. “The fact that Tali is up with the sun helps me go to bed a bit earlier.”

“Yeah, I should probably try to do that. When Jack’s around she does get on my case for staying up too late, so that helps me.”

They chatted for a few minutes longer, Tony telling him about their trip to London. Eventually Tony could no longer hide the yawns that let on the fact he was ready for bed.

“Okay, I need to let you get some sleep. And Jack just pulled up so I’m sure I need to carry some stuff into the house,” Gibbs said as he stood up.

“You two have fun between now and Thursday and then have some fun with Finn. Thanks for calling and for keeping me up to date. Give Jack a kiss from me and I’ll talk to you soon,” Tony said as he gave a little wave.

“Bye Tony,” Gibbs said with a little wave of his own.

************

Jack and Jethro spent a few hours wandering around the Ocean City downtown area on Asbury Ave. True to Jack’s prediction, at some point Gibbs got himself a cup of coffee and a donut at Drip n’ Scoop before planting himself on a bench while she visited a few more stores.

When Jack declared herself shopped out, they went back to the house to get ready for their dinner at The Crab Trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as usual for reading, giving kudos and commenting.


	8. Chapter 8

“Wow,” Gibbs said with a grin when Jack came out of the bedroom, dressed and ready to go. She was wearing a long floral sundress with thin straps which showed off her deepening tan. Hair was curled and flowing loosely around her shoulders. Accessories were simple, only a pair of diamond stud earrings and the silver bracelet Gibbs had brought back from Hawaii. She wore very little makeup, didn’t need any.

“You like?” Jack asked as she slowly turned in a circle, giving him a 360 view.

“Oh yeah. Feel like I’m not dressed up enough,” he stated as he glanced down at his own outfit, the white shirt he’d ironed earlier, which already had the sleeves rolled up, khakis and slip on shoes.

“You look just fine,” Jack assured him as she reached up to smooth down a piece of hair that was sticking up a bit.

“Ready?” Gibbs asked as he grabbed his keys off the table.

“Just let me get my sweater,” Jack said as she went back to the bedroom to grab it out of the drawer.

As they got into the car, they waved to Mary and her cousin Elizabeth who were just getting back from the store.

***************

“To us,” Jack said with a smile as she picked up her wine.

“To us, finally being us,” Jethro added as he tapped his glass of beer against her wine glass.

“Amen to that,” Jack added as she picked up the menu.

They ordered some appetizers and enjoyed the bread basket while they waited for them to arrive.

“Oh, I talked to Finn’s Aunt earlier,” Jack said as she broke a roll in half. “Wanted to fill me in a little before he got here. Apparently, he’s been struggling a bit this summer. They think it’s just too much down time. During the school year he was busy and he spent more time with other kids his age. He has a couple of good friends but they’ve been away a lot of the summer. Guess he just has too much time to think and brood. Not sleeping so great either, apparently.”

“I can relate to all of that,” Gibbs said with a little grin as he reached for the butter.

“I’m sure you can. He sees a therapist weekly and has been since basically the week after he moved in with them, you knew that already. She took him to see his pediatrician a few weeks ago and he started him on Prozac. Been doing okay with it. She would love us to see if he’ll talk and open up a little,” Jack explained as the waitress set down their appetizers, Maryland Crab Bites and Shrimp Cocktail.

“I always try to get him to talk. And sometimes I’m even successful. Other times, we’re just staring at each other on FaceTime,” Gibbs said with a grin and wink.

“They should be here Thursday morning, crack of dawn if Finn has his way, I’m sure,” Jack said, reaching for a shrimp.

“I’ll see what I can do about getting him to talk. Would probably be good for both of us,” he said with a little shrug of his shoulders. 

Dinner was delicious and they were thankful for the suggestion from Mary.

Gibbs told Jack that he had talked to Tony during the day and brought him up to date on their relationship. Jack confessed she’d started to call Ellie twice to do the same, but had held off. Something about keeping things more or less secret for a few more days was appealing. But she also knew that if she talked to Ellie directly, she’d have a hard time keeping things to herself. Finn was wise beyond his years and they knew he would pick up on the changes all too quickly.

They were going to skip dessert but the selections looked too good to pass up so they ordered Red Velvet Cake and Peanut Butter Pie to go. Jack excused herself to use the restroom while he paid the check.

They put the desserts in the car and took a little walk out onto the 9th street bridge which connected Somers Point and Ocean City. It was a beautiful bridge, only a few years old. Apparently walking the length of the bridge was a touristy thing to do. But at 8:30 at night and faced with walking the two miles back to the car, they just walked a little way out, admiring the view of the Ocean City skyline, and each other.

Jack drove back, since she’d only had one glass of wine and Gibbs had had two beers during dinner. The did stop briefly at the Visitor Center on the top of the bridge, getting out to look out over the water and to steal a few kisses.

*****************

“God I’m not eating for the rest of the week,” Jack declared as she stepped into the house and kicked off her sandals.

“Yeah, you say that now, but I’m guessing in about an hour or so, you’ll be looking for these,” Gibbs said as he held up the desserts before putting them in the fridge.

“You know me too well,” Jack said as she poured herself a glass of water. “You want to sit outside for a while, it’s still nice and warm out,” she said.

“Sure,” he agreed as he pulled his shirt tails out and kicked off his own shoes.

They settled down on the porch. The air was still warm, but the humidity had lessened with the sun going down. The salt air breeze floated by and they just sat quietly for almost an hour. They stole a few glances at each other, gave a few smiles and brushed their hands together but said very little.

Eventually Jack stood up and stretched a little. 

“Ready for dessert?” Gibbs teased as he caught her by the waist and pulled her into his lap, where she landed with a little squeal and very little grace. 

“Nope,” Jack whispered as she leaned a little closer to press a kiss to the side on his neck as she ran her hand through his hair.

“Ready for something else?” he asked quietly as he fingered the bracelet on her arm before reaching for her hand.

“Yep,” Jack whispered as she slid off his lap and held out her hand to pull him to his feet. 

Gibbs all but stumbled in the front door and down the hall, with Jack giggling the whole way.

**************

“Dessert?” Gibbs teased as he pulled Jack closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He pulled the sheet over both of them in the air conditioned room. 

“In a minute,” she replied as she curled up against him, hooking her leg over his and resting her head on his chest. She fingered the scar bisecting his chest as their both their breathing slowed down a bit.

“Take your time,” he whispered into her hair as he ran his hand down her arm, entwining his fingers with hers.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Jack said about 10 minutes later.

“Huh?” Gibbs muttered, having fallen asleep for a minute.

“Dessert,” Jack said as she rolled over, taking most of the sheet with her.

Gibbs rolled over and reached to snag his boxers off the floor. He pulled them on as Jack pulled on the white shirt he’d worn to dinner and her underwear. After grabbing a t-shirt out of the drawer, he followed her into the kitchen. 

Jack pulled the two Styrofoam containers and the carton of milk out of the fridge, setting everything on the kitchen table.

“What, no coffee,” Gibbs muttered as he grabbed two glasses.

“It’s 10:30 at night, you don’t need coffee,” Jack teased as she scooted past him with a couple of forks.

“Okay what about Bourbon?” Gibbs asked as he reached for the bottle which was on top of the fridge. Jack just shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes as he reached for a juice glass to use. It was a small step up from the dusty mason jars he usually used.

They settled down on the couch with their dessert and in the case of Gibbs, a glass of Bourbon. A glass which Jack quickly decided to share with him.

“Thought you didn’t want any,” he teased as he took the glass back from Jack.

“No sense in letting you drink alone,” she smirked as she motioned for him to give her a bite of the Red Velvet Cake. 

An hour later the desserts were long gone, as was a rather large amount of the Bourbon. Jack stood up to take the empty containers to the kitchen and to put the bottle of liquor away. Gibbs took the opportunity to stretch out the length of the couch, leaving Jack no room when she returned. 

“I’ve been gone for 2 minutes,” Jack teased as she set a glass of water on the coffee table. She nudged him back a bit, managing to get herself just enough room to balance on one hip. “Come to bed,” she whispered into his ear.

“Hmmm, bed?” he said, trying his best to leer but in his exhausted and not completely sober state he wasn’t exactly successful.

“Yeah bed, to sleep, it’s after midnight,” Jack clarified as she stood up and held out hand to pull him to his feet.

With a swat to the ass, she sent him down the hall towards the bedroom while she turned out the lights and locked the front door.

***************

Gibbs woke to the sound of rain hitting the window. He sat up slowly, gauging how much the rather large amount of liquor he’d consumed the night before was going to affect him. Deciding he’d be fine with a couple of Advil, a pot of coffee and some fresh air, he stood up and stretched. He grabbed his watch and checked the time, almost 7:00. With a smile he couldn’t help but wonder if his recent round of sleeping more than 5 hours a night had to do with Jack who was herself still sound asleep. He walked to the other side of the bed and leaned over next to her for a moment, carefully brushing her hair off her face before kissing her forehead. After a quick stop in the bathroom, he headed for the kitchen.

While the coffee brewed, Gibbs took his Lexapro, vitamin and for good measure, 3 Advil before he checked the weather. Showers in the morning with the sun peeking out in the afternoon. He opened his laptop and read through his email while enjoying the first cup of dark roast.

He didn’t exactly have much personal email to go through, the only ones who really used the address were Tony and Finn. And since he’d come into the 21st century with an iPhone, both tended to just text. He cleaned out the spam and set the laptop aside. Although he’d become more computer proficient over the last few years, he still preferred to use it minimally.

The rain was still falling when he opened the front door to let some air in. He grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before going out to the front porch with another cup of coffee. The front porch, being covered by the upper deck provided plenty of protection from the rain. He sat down and propped his feet on the white wooden railing, not caring they we going to get a little wet. 

Jack woke up a little before 8:00, surprised she’d slept so late, that was until she sat up and the throbbing in her head reminded her of the night before. With a barely concealed groan she got to her feet, pulled on a pair of leggings and a t-shirt before wandering down the hall. Like Gibbs she stopped for Advil before anything else.

As she walked down the hall, she could see the top of Gibbs’ head through the front window. She reached for the coffee pot and after getting a good whiff of it, set it back down before getting a bottle of iced tea out of the fridge. She took a few sips and opened the pantry, not really sure what she was looking for.

“There’s a few donuts left,” Gibbs said as he leaned in the kitchen, pointing to the white bakery box on top of the dryer. 

“Morning,” Jack said as she took a step towards him and kissed him softly. “Been up long?” she asked she reached for the box and set it on the table.

“Uh ‘bout an hour,” Gibbs replied as he slid into a chair, reaching for a jelly donut. 

“Vacation is certainly helping your sleep,” Jack said with a little shrug of her shoulders.

“Yeah, I think it has more to do with who I’m sleeping with,” Gibbs smirked.

“Literally and figuratively?” Jack smirked right back as she stretched out her bare feet, putting them in his lap. She got the fully expected eye roll and little snort from Gibbs.

As the rain continued, they spent the morning lounging around. They finished the donuts, made some scrambled eggs and got Finn’s room ready for him. Jack put sheets on the bed and Gibbs moved the nightlight from the hall to the boy’s room. She put a set of towels on the bench at the end of the bed before fluffing the pillow one last time and leaving the room.

Jack worked on the puzzle while Gibbs sat in the chair by the window reading. The sound of the rain gave a nice, calming background sound. Calming enough that eventually his eyes closed and the book slid to the floor. Jack set the book on the table and pulled his reading glasses off, he never even stirred.

The puzzle was starting to come together, much to Jack’s delight. Her phone buzzed with an incoming call from Ellie. They talked for a little bit. While Jack didn’t exactly come out and state the new status of her relationship with Gibbs, she left very little to the imagination and Ellie was fully able to connect the dots, as it were. To say she was excited was an understatement. Jack had to plead with her to not put her cell phone on speaker in the middle of the squad room were Nick and Tim were working on some cold cases. They ended the conversation with a promise to talk in a day or two. After ending the call, Jack sent Ellie a few pictures, a couple selfies from the beach, one of the videos Gibbs had taken of her surfing and one she’d just taken of Jethro, sound asleep in the chair, probably looking more peaceful than anyone on his team had ever seen him. 

Jack pulled a container of meatballs and sauce out of the freezer and set it on the counter for dinner. She figured they’d taken Mary up on her suggestion of bread from Bennie’s Bread downtown. So far all her suggestions had lived up to her description. Jack pulled on a light jacket, left a short note for Gibbs on the table and headed out for the bread. 

Gibbs woke up as he heard the car pull away. He rubbed his eyes a bit to gain a little awareness of time and space. Finding the note on the table he smiled at the fact Jack had simply signed it with a little heart.

A quick glance out the front door let him know the rain had slowed down and the sun was trying to peek out from behind the clouds. He got himself a drink and pulled out the supplies for grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

By the time they were finished eating their lunch of grilled cheese and chips, the sun was out.

“Take a walk to the beach?” Gibbs asked as he wiped down the counter, rinsed the dishcloth and set it over the faucet.

“Sure, let me throw some shorts on and we can go.”

They ended up running into Mary and Elizabeth on their way to take a walk also. The foursome set off, joining what turned out to be a rather large stream of people heading for the beach now that the weather had cleared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments.


	9. Chapter 9

As had been the case with all of Mary’s suggestions so far, the bread from Bennie’s was a very good addition to the spaghetti and meatballs Jack and Jethro had for dinner.

Jack divided the remainder of the wine between their two glasses before getting up to start loading the dishwasher. She waved off Gibbs’ help as the kitchen was rather narrow for the two of them to be in there together. 

“I’ll get up and grab bagels in the morning,” Gibbs said as he opened up his text messages, finding one from Tony with a picture of Tali.

“Let me guess, another suggestion from Mary?” Jack teased.

“Yep,” Gibbs replied without looking up from his phone. He found a few pictures from their afternoon walk on the beach and sent them to Tony.

The kitchen was warm and Jack pulled off the sweatshirt she was wearing, leaving on the tank top she had on under. Gibbs looked up at her as she put something in the cabinet over the stove. The scars on her back peeked out as usual. The only reason he even gave them a second thought was that she was going to be wearing a bathing suit, if luck was on his side her bikini, and he was pretty sure the subject of her scars, as well as most of his, had never come up in conversation with Phineas.

“Jack, honey, think we need to have a conversation with Finn when he gets here,” Gibbs started. His use of an endearment got her attention immediately and she leaned against the stove, facing him.

“Yeah, we need to try to get him to talk,” Jack said, the confusion coming through in her voice.

“No, not that,” Gibbs said, clearly getting a bit uncomfortable with the topic and almost wishing he hadn’t said anything. 

“Come here,” Jack said as she slid up to sit on the washer, giving him room to stand in the kitchen. “What’s up?” she asked as she reached for his hands.

“Well, last time we saw Finn, it was winter and there were layers and flannel and sweatshirts…” he trailed off, vaguely motioning toward her back and his chest.

“And Finn’s going to see a lot of scars on the beach,” she said, quickly catching on.

“Yeah. I feel we should give him a little warning,” Gibbs explained as he took a step closer, putting his hands on Jack’s waist. She rested her chin on his shoulder after giving him a little nod.

“We’ll give him a quick explanation. Give him some time to ask questions. I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal but yeah, we should give him a heads up,” Jack agreed.

“Deal? You want ice cream?” Gibbs whispered against the top of her head.

“Do you have to ask?” Jack teased as she unwrapped her arms and pushed him back a step so she could slide to the floor. She threw the sweatshirt back on and shoved her feet into her sneakers.

***************

Both were up early the next early morning, figuring Finn would probably be up before dawn, leaving as early as he would be able to convince his Aunt Micki and Uncle George to head out.

“They left half an hour ago,” Gibbs said, checking his text messages. “So, about an hour or so. I’ll start the coffee and go grab the bagels.”

**************

Gibbs was sitting on the front steps with his every present cup of coffee when they pulled up, finding a parking spot a few houses down. Finn was out of the car almost before it was in park. He all but ran the 30 feet or so down the street. Gibbs had pushed himself to his feet and was standing on the paver walkway bracing himself for the dark haired boy barreling in his direction.

“Jethro Gibbs,” Finn said, all but throwing himself at his favorite NCIS agent. He wrapped his arms around Gibbs who pressed a kiss to the top of the boy’s head.

“Hey George, how was the ride?” Gibbs asked Finn’s uncle as he held his hand out.

“Early,” George said with a smile.

Gibbs gave Micki a quick hug as Jack stepped outside. Jack gave Finn a big hug and greeted Micki and George.

“Phineas, why don’t you grab your duffel bag out of the trunk,” George said with a smile.

“Okay,” Finn answered as he took off back towards the car.

“Come inside, there’s coffee and bagels,” Jack said, opening the front door.

Jack gave Micki and Finn a quick tour while Gibbs and George set the bagels out and poured the coffee. Finn set his duffel and backpack on the bed before sitting down at the table with a bagel.

The adults chatted a little, Finn just sat next to Gibbs, clearly thrilled to be reunited with his favorite NCIS agents.

“Don’t you have to get going?” Finn asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. 

“Well, Phineas not really since we don’t check in until 3:00 but I clearly see you are anxious to get rid of us,” George teased as he stood up.

“Sorry,” the boy said with a little laugh. 

“We can get going Micki,” George said. 

The guys went outside, leaving Jack and Micki inside for a minute.

“Thanks so much for inviting Finn. I think it will do him some good,” Micki said as she set the empty mugs in the sink and put the butter in the fridge.

“I think it will be good for all of us, especially the “boys”. I have a feeling I’m going to be a third wheel in a matter of minutes.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. Phineas was just as excited to see you,” Micki assured her. “I’m sure the three of you will have a great few days. He has his pills with him. He’s good about remembering them. He knows I told you about them. I encouraged him to talk to Jethro about many, many things. Hopefully he will talk.”

“I think they both need to talk. I’ll do what I can,” Jack assured her as the two women went outside.

Five minutes later, much to Finn’s delight, he was waving as the car pulled away from the curb and turned the corner.

“Can we go to the beach?” Finn asked as the trio stepped into the house.

“Why don’t you go unpack your things and change into your bathing suit,” Jack said as she folded the throw which had slipped off the back of the couch. “Jethro and I need to talk to you for a few minutes before we hit the beach.”

“Okay,” Finn replied with a little shrug of his shoulders.

*************

Much to the relief of Jack and Gibbs, the conversation about scars had gone well. There was a little bit of show and tell. Finn asked a few questions but didn’t seem overly curious. Jack felt that could have been his desire to get his vacation started and she was pretty sure there would be more questions later.

“Jethro Gibbs, do I need one of those?” Finn asked as he pointed to the beach tag on Gibbs’ bathing suit.

“Nope, 12 and over. And we need to have another little chat,” Gibbs said with a grin as he motioned for Finn to step outside. He figured they could have their quick little chat while he got some sunscreen on the boy. “Okay slip your shirt off and let me get some of this stuff on you. The two of us are not going to tan like Jack,” he teased.

“Uh, what are we chatting about?” Finn asked as he closed his eyes against the spray.

“Yeah, we need to decide on a name, Jethro Gibbs is a mouthful. Not to mention that’s only my middle and last names.”

“Really?” Finn asked.

“Leroy Jethro Gibbs. No comments and we can talk about where that came from later. So, buddy you need to pick one,” Gibbs teased.

“Well, I noticed Jack’s calling you Jethro, not Gibbs like she usually did,” Finn said, the wheels turning in his little head.

“Suppose that’s true. Hold out your hands,” Gibbs said. He sprayed Finn’s hands so the boy could spread some on his face.

Finn rubbed the sunscreen on his face before speaking. “I’ll go with Jethro,” he decided as he pulled his shirt back on. Gibbs handed him the can and leaned over a little so Finn could spray some on his back.

“You two ready?” Jack asked as she poked her head out the door. She got a pair of heads nodding in her direction. “Go pick some drinks and put them in the cooler. After that Finn, go out back and see what’s in the shed. The owner said you can use whatever’s in there.”

Ten minutes later they headed off to the beach. Having a child along basically doubled the amount of things they were carrying. Finn found a boogie board and a football in the shed. He shoved his towel, the football, his summer reading book and his phone in his backpack. At Jack’s suggestion, he’d put the phone in a Ziploc bag, just in case. Jethro grabbed the cooler and the umbrella, Jack, the chairs and beach bag.

By 10:00 they were set up a few yards from the high tide line. Jethro and Finn headed immediately for the waves, leaving Jack in her chair with her book.

Finn quickly got used to the boogie board and was riding waves all the way to the shore after a few tries. He even convinced his companion to give it a shot. Jack looked up to see that and quickly grabbed her phone to snap a few pics. She would probably need evidence of the situation. The members of Team Gibbs were not likely to believe their beloved leader was riding the waves on a boogie board without hard evidence.

Finn convinced Jack to join them. The three floated on the waves for a long time. They talked about a few things, nothing of great importance. Finn told about his summer. He was going into 5th grade and his school district, that was middle school. He was very excited to change classes and to have a locker.

Jack finally convinced them to get out when Finn’s fingers were totally wrinkled and Gibbs looked like he needed a breather. The three of them read for a while, Gibbs a book on Ocean City history he found on the bookshelf in the house, Jack had a trashy romance novel from the house and Finn was reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, the last of his summer reading books.

Predictably, Gibbs was asleep within 15 minutes. Jack rescued his book before it landed in the sand.

“Not the first time he’s fallen asleep in the beach?” Finn teased.

“Nope. I don’t think he’s ready more than 10 pages at a time all week,” Jack replied with a grin. “You want a snack?” she offered, pointing towards the cooler.

“Sure,” Finn said. He stood up and wiped his hands on his t-shirt, getting rid of a little sand. He grabbed some grapes, a cheese stick and a bottle of Gatorade. Jack grabbed some grapes and a bottle of water. They enjoyed their snack while they watched the waves roll in. “So what else did you and Jethro do, besides fall asleep on the beach,” Finn snorted.

“I heard that,” Gibbs muttered without opening his eyes.

“We did spend a lot of time on the beach. Went to the zoo one day. Hit the boardwalk one night for junk food and ice cream. I’ve been surfing a few times.”

“Really. Can you teach me?” Finn asked excitedly.

“We can try tomorrow morning. Best time to try is early before the beach gets too crowded.”

“Can we go to the ice cream place around the corner?”

“Aunt Betty’s? Oh, I’m sure we’ll be there at least once in the next few days. I think we’ll go to the boardwalk tonight. Pizza sound good for dinner?” Jack asked.

“My favorite,” Finn grinned.

“There are rides on the boardwalk. Do you like them?” Jack asked.

“Not really. Kinda make me a little sick,” Finn said as he reached down to pick up a clam shell, digging a little by his feet.

“Yeah, I don’t think any of us are fans of the rides. How about mini-golf?” Jack offered.

“Much better.”

“Do I get a say in what we do tonight?” Gibbs muttered as he opened his eyes.

“Sure, if you can stay awake long enough to discuss the plans,” Finn teased.

“Well, you got a little mouthy in the 8 months since we’ve seen you,” Gibbs snorted as he sat up a little.

“Well, I did turn 10 a few months ago,” Finn grinned.

“That must be it,” Gibbs deadpanned. “You want to toss the football before we go up for lunch?” He didn’t get an answer but Finn pulled the ball out and was waiting for him down by the water almost before Gibbs pushed himself to his feet.

They tossed the football for a little while, until Gibbs went after an errant throw, landing hard in about a foot of water. Finn was at his side in an instant.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he leaned down a little.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Gibbs answered as he got up on his right knee and reached out to grab Finn’s foot, causing the boy to end up in the very same position, sitting in knee deep water, sputtering a little.

“Lunch?” Finn said as he got to his feet and grabbed the football which was floating in the waves.

“Yeah,” Gibbs answered as he stood up slowly. He took a few tentative steps to see if he’d actually hurt his knee. It seemed to be okay.

They headed back to the house for lunch and to spend a little time out of the sun. Even after just a few hours in the sun, with sunscreen on, Finn already had more freckles than he’d had when he arrived that morning.

Finn worked on the puzzle with Jack for a little bit and Gibbs started a load of laundry while talking on the phone to Ducky.

“Hey Finn, you want ice cream?” Gibbs asked as he tossed his phone on the coffee table.

“Sure,” Finn agreed. “You coming Jack?”

“I think I’ll pass. I’m sure we’ll be having ice cream tonight too and I don’t need it twice in one day,” Jack said as she went into the kitchen for a drink of water.

The “boys” each pulled on a baseball hat and headed down the block. Jack watched from the porch as they walked away, a big smile on her face.

***************

The trio headed back to the beach around 2:30, having missed a couple hours of midday sun. They took a long walk with Jack and Finn collecting some shells and driftwood pieces.

Finn somehow convinced Gibbs to build an enormous sandcastle with him, much to the boy’s delight and Jack’s amazement. When they were finished, Jack took a few pictures of them to send to George and Micki.

After one last long swim, they packed up and headed back to the house.

“You want to use the outside shower?” Jack asked Finn as he kicked off his flip flops and tossed his backpack on the table on the porch.

“Outside shower?” Finn asked.

“Yep, right out back. Don’t worry there’s walls and everything,” Gibbs teased as he rinsed off his feet. Finn just rolled his eyes. “Wait here and Jack’ll grab you a towel. There’s shampoo and stuff in there. Rinse your suit in the bucket and hang it on the line.”

Jack came out with a towel for Finn and sent him on his way to get a quick shower. Gibbs headed in to use the inside shower while she rinsed off the boogie board and the chairs before putting everything in the shed. 

After her own shower, Jack got dressed and headed to find the boys. She found them sitting on the couch, dressed similarly in cargo shorts, polo shirts and Chuck Taylors. Both had neatly combed hair, and in the case of Finn, a little of gel to hold his fresh spiky haircut in place. Matching pink cheeks from the sun and big smiles on their faces as they were looking at something on Finn’s iPad.

“You two look nice,” Jack smiled as she sat down to slip on her sneakers. “You ready to go?”

“Yep,” Finn announced as he clicked the screen off and set it on the coffee table. He went into his room to grab his phone and a sweatshirt, just in case. 

The three piled into the car and headed off on their next adventure.


	10. Chapter 10

Jethro found parking a few blocks from the boardwalk, parallel parking into the spot with ease.

“I’m impressed,” Jack said as she opened the car door to find he was a mere 6 inches from the curb. “Little easier to parallel park my Mini,” she said with a laugh.

“Yeah, that’s true but my getting in and out of your ridiculously small car is a pain in my ass.”

“Language, Jethro,” Finn teased, earning a big eye roll from the older man. 

“Grab your sweatshirt Phineas,” Jack said, spying the gray USMC hoodie still sitting on the back seat. 

The three set off to the first of what would likely end up being many stops that nights, Manco & Manco for pizza. They slid into a back booth, quickly ordering drinks and a large sausage pizza. 

“Okay, so pizza, mini golf, ice cream, what else?” Finn asked as he tore the paper off his straw and stuck it in his root beer.

“Roller coaster and swings?” Gibbs teased as he tossed his crumpled up straw paper at his young companion.

“Not unless you want things to get messy,” Finn retorted, flicking the paper back across the table, where he hit Jack in the cheek.

“Okay boys, enough with the straw papers and this conversation, which, knowing the two of you, is about to get gross,” Jack teased.

“Yes ma’am,” Gibbs said as he squeezed Jack’s hand and without hesitation, leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. He glanced quickly over the table at Finn. The boy’s eyes were wide and the fully expected question was clearly on his lips. “Somethin’ you want to ask, Phineas?” he asked with a grin as he put his arm around Jack’s shoulders and pulled her close.

“Yeah, is Jack finally your girlfriend?” Finn asked. Gibbs and Jack looked at each other and turned towards Finn, just nodding a little. “It’s about time,” Finn muttered, his voice not exactly quiet. All three broke out into giggles as the pizza was delivered.

“One sausage pizza and congratulations, you two,” the young waiter said with a wink in Jethro and Jack’s direction. Jack just groaned and put her head in her hands for a second as the guys dug into the pizza. 

As they had come to expect from all of Mary’s suggestions, the pizza was delicious. It was clearly a favorite of many people as the place was packed, there was a line out the door and the take out line was almost across the boardwalk by the time they walked out a little before 7:00.

Jack steered them to the opposite side of the boardwalk, out of the way of some of the crowds so they could decide which mini-golf place they should try. 

They ended up at Congo Falls Golf, complete with animatronic gorillas flying a helicopter. The game was rather animated with lots of trash talk from all three of them. Much to her delight, Jack ended up victorious by 4 strokes, Gibbs second with Finn finishing just one stroke behind.

“Winner buys the ice cream,” Gibbs declared as they put their putters on the rack and stepped back onto the boardwalk.

“Yeah, I seem to have left my wallet at home,” Jack teased as she reached into her pockets and then held out her empty hands.

“Of course,” Gibbs teased as he took her by the hand. They headed for the nearest Kohr Bros custard stand.

After enjoying their custard they went to the arcade for a while. They played skeeball and a couple of other games. 

“Now what?” Finn asked when they stepped back out onto the boardwalk. It was pretty crowded and he slipped his hand in Jack’s to keep from getting separated.  
“How about we just walk off our pizza and ice cream?” she suggested.

“Okay,” Finn agreed.

The trio walked to the north end of the boardwalk, looking in a few shops along the way. They bought some fudge and saltwater taffy to take back to the house. By the time they were headed back to the car Finn was starting to fade a little and Jethro was starting to limp. Jack took the car keys from Gibbs and steered him towards the passenger’s seat. 

Both the “boys” were quiet on the drive back to the house. Jack glanced at Finn in the rearview mirror when she stopped at the light on 34th St. He was practically asleep, worn out from his busy day, which had apparently started very early.

Jack pulled into a space right in front of the house. Finn jolted awake as she put the car into park. They all climbed out of the car, the tired “boys” not moving too quickly.

“You two go in and get ready for bed,” Jack said. “I’m going to see if the stuff on the line is dry.”

“Did she just send you to bed?” Finn teased elbowing Jethro as they walked up the steps.

“She sent me to get ready for bed,” Gibbs clarified as he ruffled Finn’s dark hair.

“Not really much of a difference,” Finn mumbled as he headed for his room to change.

Gibbs just laughed as he did as he was told and went to change for bed.

Jack grabbed the now dry bathing suits off the line. She ran in to Mary who was taking out the trash and the two talked for a few minutes. By the time she went back in the house, the boys were on the couch watching a baseball game. Both were dressed for bed, Gibbs in pajama pants and an USMC t-shirt, Finn in basketball shorts and an NCIS t-shirt.

“I saw Mary out back. Her son and daughter in law are moving in down here on Saturday. They won’t be here until dinnertime, so she said we don’t need to be out by 10:00. After lunch is fine,” she explained.

“Sounds good,” said Gibbs.

“Nice pajamas, both of you,” Jack teased. 

She headed for the bedroom to change too. She pulled on a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt. The three of them watched the game for a while, or more precisely, Jethro and Finn watched, she answered a few emails on her laptop and did a little mindless web surfing.

By the time the game ended a little before 10:30, Finn was just about asleep curled up at the end of the couch.

“Hey Finn, buddy, time for bed,” Gibbs said as he gently shook the boy’s shoulder. Finn sat up slowly, wiping at his eyes.

“Are we still surfing tomorrow?” Finn asked Jack.

“Up to you,” Jack said, already knowing the answer.

“I really want to try,” he said as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Okay, I’ll wake you up so we can go by 7:00, deal?”

“You coming too?” Finn asked Jethro.

“I’ll come to watch. You two can do the surfing,” he said with a smile as he stood up. 

Finn hugged Gibbs goodnight and Jack walked him to his room.

“You need anything?” she asked as she hung in the doorway.

“Nope, I have a glass of water, my blanket and my dog. I’m all set,” Finn declared as he patted the bed next to him.

“Okay, Jethro and I are across the hall if you need anything,” Jack said as she sat down on the edge of the bed. 

“Okay. Thanks for inviting me, I’m having a good time,” Finn said as he pulled the covers up.

“We are so happy to see you, you have no idea,” Jack assured him. She straightened the covers and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead. He rolled over to face the wall and she got up to leave. She pulled the pocket door halfway closed and headed back to the living room.

Jack straightened up a few things, folded the load of laundry and set up the coffee maker for the morning. 

“You coming to bed?” she asked as she went back into the living room. Gibbs was standing by the front door, looking out over the quiet street.

“Nah, I’m a little restless, I’ll probably read for a while. You go ahead,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder.

“Okay,” Jack said as she walked to him and gave him a quick hug and kiss. “There’s an ice pack in the freezer,” she threw over her shoulder as she headed down the hall. 

“Thanks,” he answered with a little chuckle. By now he was used to the fact she was always looking out for him. Actually, the ice pack didn’t sound like a bad idea. He had been on his feet, running around almost as much as a normal workday.

Gibbs got himself the icepack and a glass of water. He settled on the couch with his book a few minutes after 11:00. He read for a little while, the book not really keeping his attention. The house was quiet. Being on the south end of the island they were away from the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk area. Mary had told him that was one of the things that made them pick the house back in 1991. 

A few minutes before midnight he heard shuffling come down the hall towards the living room.

“Jethro,” he heard Finn whisper.

“I’m in here, buddy. What’s up?” Gibbs asked as he swung his legs off the couch and glanced over his shoulder. He motioned for Finn to turn out the light and sit down next to him on the couch. The boy walked around the coffee table, turned out the lamp and sat down. His hair was sticking up and he was clutching his beloved stuffed dog. Gibbs pulled the blanket from behind them and tossed it over both of them. “You okay?” he asked, putting his arm around the boy. Finn gave a little shrug of his shoulders. “Did you sleep at all?”

“I don’t think so. Haven’t sleep good for a long time,” he admitted as he curled up closer to Gibbs.

“Yeah, Aunt Micki told Jack. They had a little chat earlier in the week. It’s been kind of a rough summer, huh?”

“Yeah. I try all Jack’s breathing things and I still have to see the therapist and a few week ago I had to start medicine.”

“You want to know a secret?” Gibbs whispered.

“What?”

“Same thing happened to me.” Gibbs chuckled as he pressed a kiss to the top of the boy’s head.

“Really?” Finn asked as he glanced up to look Gibbs in the eye. The older man just nodded and gave a little wink. “Did you have to do those things because of what happened with my mom?” Finn asked.

The question took Gibbs by surprise and he wasn’t able to answer right away. He took a few deep, measured breaths. “In part. I’d been seeing the therapist for a few years, started after I got shot,” he answered as he motioned towards his chest and his knee. “I thought I could do it on my own. When I realized I couldn’t, I did talk to Dr. Taft, the guy who put me back together on the ship. But he’s a trauma surgeon, not a therapist. So, I started to see Dr. Grace. Not that I went as regularly as I should or worked as hard as I should. But the meds, yeah, they started after Christmas last year. You’re mature enough for me to be honest with, so here’s what happened. After you left to go live with your aunt and uncle, well for a few days, things were messy. Thank God for Jack, Tony and Ducky. They let me fall apart and helped put me back together.”

“How much did you fall apart?” Finn teased.

“Let’s just say I had to buy more tissues, ginger ale and Advil after that week. Even took a few days off from work.”

“Wow, you never a sick day. And that’s when you started the medicine?” Finn asked.

“Yep. Ducky thought they would be a good idea. Grace and Jack agreed.”

“Were they a good idea?” Finn asked curiously. “I don’t think mine have really started to do anything yet.”

“Yeah, they do help, along with talking to Grace and to my friends. Helps to have a doctor downstairs at work looking out for me,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, and Jack looks out for you,” Finn teased as he sat up a little.

“That she does,” Gibbs agreed with a smile. 

They sat quietly in the dark for a few minutes, the only sound and light coming from the street as an occasional car passed by.

“I miss my mom,” Finn whispered as took a shaky breath and wiped his eyes. “Even though she did bad things.”

“Phineas, she was your mother. The bad stuff had nothing to do with you and more importantly, there was nothing you could have done to stop it. You were a little boy, still are one. A rather mature one, but still a little boy.”

“That’s what Dr. Matt says.” Finn said as he ran his fingers through the fringe on the edge of the blanket.

“Smart guy. Anything else happen this summer?”

“Most of my new friends went to camp or on vacation with their families. Guess I was just a little lonely. Spent too much time alone. Probably too much screen time,” he said with a little snort. “Dr. Matt wants me to do a grief group once a week when school starts. I suppose it will be okay.”

“Probably not the worst idea. At least give it a try. Everything okay with Micki and George?” Gibbs as he reached to rub the boy’s back a little. The few tears that had fallen a few minutes earlier hadn’t amounted to much, he was a little surprised by that.

“Yeah, they’re great. Uncle George and I have been working on my baseball skills. I’m going to sign up for fall league when we get back. We’re thinking about getting a dog. We finished painting my room. I hung up the shelf you sent to me.”

“That’s great. I have another project I’m going to work on. A ramp for when Delilah comes over.”

“Front or back of the house?” Finn asked.

“Back. I’ll show you the plans on the laptop tomorrow.”

“Cool,” Finn said.

They sat quietly for a few minutes; Finn sitting with his elbows on his knees, Gibbs with his feet on the coffee table.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right? Me or Jack,” Gibbs whispered, pivoting the conversation back to matters a bit more important.

“I know,” Finn answered as he sat up again, curling up against Gibbs, Dog tucked between the two of them. “Thanks for getting a smart phone. Makes things easier,” he teased. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Gibbs chuckled. “Don’t think for a minute you’re the only one to say that. I think Jack and Tony send pictures and emojis just because they can.”

“Probably,” Finn grinned. “I….I’m glad I have someone else to talk to, other than people I have to talk to.”

“I know what you mean. I have Tony and Ducky. I’d say Jack too, but I feel I kinda have to talk to her,” he admitted with a little shrug of his shoulders.

“I think you have to talk to her. She is your girlfriend,” Finn teased. “That’s pretty cool by the way and it’s about damn time.”

“Language Phineas,” Gibbs teased with a little slap to the back of the boy’s head.

“Sorry,” Finn said with a little laugh, thinking back to the time he’d spend at NCIS and how Gibbs would monitor the language of his team in front of him.

“It’s late, you ready to go back to bed?” 

Finn just shook his head. “Jethro?” he pretty much whispered.

“What buddy?” Gibbs asked as he pulled the boy closer thinking maybe things were about to get what he’d call messy.

“Why does life have to be so hard?” Finn whispered.

Gibbs took a quick intake of air against the proverbial knife to the heart he just felt.

“I don’t know,” he answered. There was really no other answer to give. “But you are the strongest kid I know. Hell, you’re one of the strongest people I know,” he clarified.

“I try to be strong, but I don’t always feel that way,” Finn whispered, his little voice starting to crack and his brown eyes filling with tears.

“God Phineas, the two of us are more alike than you will ever know,” Gibbs whispered as he felt tears prick at his own eyes.

“That’s what Jack says,” Finn replied as he wiped his eyes with the edge of the blanket. The action just caused more tears to fall. “I’m tired of crying, I’m too old,” he said, the tears starting to flow freely.

“Finn, you’re 10,” Gibbs said lightly, trying to keep any teasing out of his tone. “And before you ask, yes I do cry. Not often, but it does happen.”

“When was the last time?” 

“Well, if you asked me 2 minutes ago, the answer would have been the day I came home from Hawaii,” Gibbs said, sniffling just a little. 

Finn lifted his head from Gibbs’ shoulder and took a good look at the older man next to him. There were a few tears on Gibbs’ cheeks, with more threatening to fall. Seeing his beloved Jethro in tears was enough for the dam to break and Finn to start actually sobbing.

“Oh, buddy,” Gibbs whispered as he pulled the boy into a fierce hug. He rested his cheek against Finn’s dark hair, just holding him as they both cried.

The sounds coming from the living room woke Jack and she crept out of bed, starting to head for the living room. She stopped short when she realized her appearance probably wouldn’t be helpful. I would most likely end up with three people in tears. So, she turned around and headed back to the bedroom. Gibbs had heard her in the hall but didn’t say anything, feeling very much the same what she was feeling.

Eventually Gibbs felt Finn completely relax against him, having basically cried himself to sleep. He held the boy close, using some deep breathing to calm himself down a little. He knew neither of them would be getting any decent sleep if they stayed where they were, so he stood up carefully and with a quiet groan picked up the sleeping boy and carried him to bed.

Gibbs pulled the covers over Finn’s sleeping form, kissing his forehead and ruffling his hair before going into the bathroom. He splashed some cool water on his face and brushed his teeth. 

He crawled into bed, trying unsuccessfully not to wake Jack.

“You want to talk about it?” Jack whispered as she reached to pull him close.

“Nope,” Jethro replied as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Okay, get some sleep,” Jack whispered, not going to push him to talk in the wee hours of the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> With the knowledge that Jack's time at NCIS is coming to an end, I am strongly considering just throwing canon completely out the window with this story.


End file.
